The entity chaired by the disgraceful Chiqui Tapia described the measure as 'illegitimate' and denounced a political maneuver by the government
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Argentine Football Association (AFA) replied to the request by the General Inspectorate of Justice (IGJ) to appoint overseers in the organization and confirmed that it will turn to the courts to stop the measure. In an extensive statement signed by its mafia-style president, Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, the leadership described the decision as "a whim" by the Government and denounced a political use of the oversight body.
The conflict arose after IGJ asked the Ministry of Justice to appoint overseers to access accounting and financial documentation that, according to the agency, was not submitted. The request targets the analysis of the financial statements closed as of June 30, 2025, the audit of the process of creating AFA's University (UNAFA) and the review of commercial and financial ties with companies linked to the marketing of rights.
In its response, AFA questioned the contradiction that the resolution supposedly contains. "If there is no sanction, there is no seriousness. If there is no seriousness, the oversight is a whim. And if it is a whim, the only serious thing here is the political use of an oversight body", the official text states.
Tapia calificó como capicho a la medida de la IGJ
Furthermore, it anticipated that if the Government moves forward with the appointment, it will resort to all necessary judicial instances: "AFA will not be subjected to an illegitimate oversight, based on false or distorted facts and issued with a political purpose that is unrelated to the law".
"We will appeal to the National Civil Court of Appeals and, if necessary, to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, so that the courts, and not propaganda, determine the validity of this act", it added.
In its defense, the organization denied that there are financial statements that have not been submitted for more than eight years and asserted that the 2017 to 2024 fiscal years were delivered and are under "pending review" for a response. "If there are pending reviews, there is an open procedure. And if there is an open procedure, it is hardly possible to speak of "final irregularities"", it stated.
Regarding the 2025 fiscal year, AFA explained that it did not submit it to IGJ due to the change of legal address to the province of Buenos Aires, a procedure that the national agency questioned on the grounds that the declared headquarters doesn't operate as such. The leadership of Argentine football maintained that the provincial registration is "a valid and current administrative act".
La "nueva sede" de AFA es un terreno baldío
Meanwhile, the governing body of Argentine football also addressed the issue of Sports Corporations, aiming directly at the political background that supposedly is trying to impose them by force. "This is not about controlling a civil association, but about implementing a public policy that seeks to impose Sports Corporations through the institutional weakening of AFA, the main defender of the social club model", it warned.
In the final section, the statement toughens its tone and concludes: "Argentine football belongs to its clubs, its members, and its fans. It will not be co-opted by political operations or by business interests that intend to turn our institutions into merchandise. We will defend our autonomy and our legality through all judicial and democratic channels".
